Posted on
7/1/2022

Overview of the new social networking features that you absolutely must know and master in 2022!

It's not new, everything is moving very fast on social networks, so much so that it is sometimes possible to get lost among all the new features that keep popping up. At the beginning of 2022 we decided to take a look at the new features developed recently by social platforms. We've condensed them here for you. Here we go.

Computer sitting on a table
Computer sitting on a table

Facebook's new features

The year 2021 will be full of new features for Facebook. A name change, the launch of parallel virtual universes, new features specially designed for content creators, remuneration for influencers, etc. We tell you everything!

Horizon Worlds

On 28 October, Mark Zuckerberg announced the change of Facebook’s name to Meta. In the metaverse imagined by Meta, Internet users will now be able to move through different virtual environments without leaving their homes. The first of these virtual worlds, called Horizon Home, is a representation of the home where it is possible to invite friends and carry out various activities together. Today, Meta announced the release of Horizon Worlds, which is now available to all adults in the United States and Canada, provided they own an Oculus Quest headset, Facebook’s brand of virtual reality. What is certain is that a whole new field of possibilities is opening up with this metaverse, which is revolutionising social networks as we have known them until now.

Facebook Live

The social networking giant doesn’t stop there. New features are constantly being added to Facebook, which must constantly renew itself to keep up with the new networks that are emerging. The latest features will delight content creators and focus mainly on Lives. These new features follow the redesign of the video tool on mobile and desktop that took place a few months ago. Facebook Live now offers new features to content creators.

The first of these, and certainly the most anticipated of all, concerns the sharing of links. It is now possible for users to share a link to a third-party site during their live broadcast.

Another new feature is polls, which were already available on the desktop and are now also available on mobile. This new feature should please content creators and allow them to get valuable feedback from their live community and engage them.

The feature that allows you to do a live collaboration is extended to more users. It is now possible to live stream with up to 3 steamers simultaneously. Another new feature also makes it possible to share lives in stories in order to gain visibility.

Finally, two new features allow us to focus on the community in order to reward the most assiduous and committed fans. Badges are now available on the lives. These allow the most active members to be identified very quickly thanks to the small badge next to their name. The latest feature, still under test, will literally put these committed fans in the “front row”. Thanks to this last novelty, the most engaged viewers at a given moment will be displayed in a front row section of the live broadcast.

Bonus

A brand new reward program for content creators has been initiated by Meta. Content creators will now be able to be paid directly via Facebook thanks to this new programme called “Bonus”, as is already the case on other networks such as Youtube or Tiktok.

The site states that “Meta invests in bonuses to help you generate steady income while doing what you love. Join a bonus program and earn money based on your performance, earnings or content challenges that reward you for your achievements and reaching your key goals. Generate substantial revenue while creating content that your fans enjoy. Receive rewards when you grow your community on Facebook.

Instagram's new features

The other flagship social network of the Meta group is not left out. A number of new features have also been introduced for 2021 on the social network. One of the most important new features is Collabs, with the ability to post to two profiles at the same time using the add collaborator tool.

Another highly anticipated new feature is the ability to reply to Reel comments directly in video. This feature, already present on the social network Tiktok for more than a year, is very much used by content creators as it allows a better exchange with the community.

Instagram also intends to improve its parental control policy in 2022. New options should be available by March 2022 to better protect teenagers on the platform. A new education hub will be offered to parents and guardians to help them guide their teens in their use of Instagram. Other new features were also announced on the official website in a recently published blog post. Some of the key updates expected to be released to make the social network safer for teens include:

  • Not being able to mention or identify teenage accounts if they do not follow the account back,
  • Stricter control over recommendations made to teens in the Search, Explore, Hashtags and Suggested Accounts tabs,
  • The ability to direct teens to other topics if they linger on one topic for a while.

It remains to be seen how these different features will be implemented and whether they will have a real impact on the mental health and safety of young people on the social network.

New features on Youtube

In a video posted on its Creators Insiders channel, the social video streaming network announced the launch of a new link format in the video description field. This will provide “an easy and visual way for viewers to find out about the locations mentioned” in the video being viewed.

Initially limited to videos in the “food” category, it is not known whether this new option will be extended to other video categories. No deployment schedule has been announced for the moment by Youtube for this new feature called “Places Mentioned”. To be continued!

New features on TikTok

The Chinese social network is going all out for video creation with three new features and tools for content creators:

Green Screen

This is one of the most frequently used options by TikTokers for their video creations. The social network understands this and has decided to spoil these users by partnering with GIPHY, to allow them to choose from a large library of GIFs to apply as backgrounds when using the creative “Green Screen” effect. New creative and storytelling opportunities are now at hand for all video creators on TikTok.

High quality uploads

Tiktok now offers the possibility to upload videos in HD up to 1080p. With this new option, creators will be able to share high quality content and viewers will be able to enjoy an enhanced viewing experience.

How do I post HD content on TikTok? Simply record or upload the video you want to share, then press “more options” on the publishing page. Finally, all you have to do is activate the “Upload in HD” setting to publish your video in a maximum resolution of 1080p. Please note, however, that this option is only available in a number of countries at the moment.

With the aim of improving the quality and experience on the social network, a new visual enhancement button has also been released that allows you to instantly improve exposure, low light and colour correction.

New features on Snapchat

Snapchat now offers a brand new video editing app. Announced several months ago at the Partner Summit 2021, the “Story Studio app is starting to roll out on iOS”.

The app has a simple goal: to make it easier to edit more engaging and dynamic vertical videos with a variety of tools. These videos can then be shared on the main app. For now the app is only available in the US and UK on iOS but the Apple Store already says that Story Studio will allow you to “use crop, split, and frame-accurate sync tools to get your edits just right. Add layers and captions to tell your story, then Snapchat sounds. Try the latest Lens everyone’s talking about and add smooth transitions from one video to the next. When you’re ready to share, send it to Snapchat to share on your Story or Spotlight.

We’ll have to wait a little longer before we can test this new app.

About Kolsquare

Kolsquare is Europe’s leading Influencer Marketing platform, a data-driven solution that allows brands to scale their KOL Marketing strategies and implement authentic partnerships with KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders). Kolsquare’s technology enables marketing professionals to easily identify the best Content Creators profiles by filtering their content and audience, and to build and manage their campaigns from A to Z, including measuring results and benchmarking performance against competitors. Kolsquare has built the largest community of influencer marketing experts in the world, and offers hundreds of customers (Coca-Cola, Netflix, Sony Music, Publicis, Sézane, Sephora, El Corte Inglés, Lacoste, …) the latest Big Data, AI and Machine Learning technologies to drive inspiring partnerships, tapping into an exhaustive network covering 100% of  KOLs with more than 5,000 followers in 180 countries on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. As a Benefit Company, Kolsquare has been pioneering Responsible Influence by championing transparency, ethical practices, and meaningful collaborations to inspire change.

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